There’s new social networks and technologies eating at Twitter and Facebook’s hold on our fashionable, social network fascination. Tumblr and Foursquare are making us visually stimulated, mobile check-in junkies. But now, thanks to some critically needed key wedges in social media, we can become a new authorities in our subject areas via Quora and starting to visualize on Tumblr though robust photo applications like Instagr.am.

So let’s talk about Instagram, a mobile app for your iPhone that allows you take photos and instantly upload them to Facebook, Tumblr, Posterous or Twitter (even though Instragam is like a Twitter for photos). Here’s what makes Instragram so much better than the your iPhone camera or now sub par photo manipulation app you overpaid $4.99 for:

• It integrates to Foursquare; when you post a photo from any location, you can automatically check-in! It’s all about GEOLOCATION, baby!
• You can add cool filters to your photos that make them look like professional masterpieces. Fashion bloggers, Polyvore was so 5 minutes ago; get lookbook.NU, launch a mobile application with an Instagram integration, and it’s a whole new level of street style fashion hotness!  Oh wait, that’s called Tumblr…
• The app is social; you can comment on, share and like your friends’ photos. Ummm, Chictopia and lookbook.NU, mobile extensions/upgrades that are this awesome, please?
• You can find new people to stalk based on how popular their photos are.
• Did we mention it’s FREE? Yes, a starving fashionista’s first requirement. FREE.

Feature To Fix: You should be able manage your overall account, including profile picture online in a web browser. I know this is an app, but it was complicated to upload a profile photo and do everything on that tiny screen.

What Can Brands Do With Instagram?

Following the launch of the Levi’s Girl campaign, it seems that the Levi’s Brand has decided to pioneer the social photo sharing phenomenon as well. PSFK reports (and translates) that, “Observing that many of these users were Brazilian, Levi’s Brazil decided to create its own profile on the platform: levisbrasil. It is used to display products that will be released in the forthcoming collection, as well as images that represent the brand’s personality.”

Brands are going to have to yet again adopt how they’re going to market to customers through social photo sharing. It looks like Levi’s is off to a good start. This should be an easy task for any brand as fashion is built on imagery. Do I sense the replacement of those horrible banner ads?